Packet-based networking technology is increasingly being used to stream digital media, such as digital video, to clients. Digital media streaming involves transmitting packets of time-sensitive digital media from a media source, such as a stream server, to a client, such as a personal computer or a digital set-top-box (STB). As an example, digital media is streamed downstream from a stream server to a STB using Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG)-2 Transport Stream (TS) over UDP/IP or Real-time Transport (RTP)/UDP/IP.
Service provider networks that support digital media streaming often times have multiple different stream servers from which a particular media stream can be sourced. When a request for a media stream is made by a client, a stream server must be selected to source the media stream. While it may be easy to simply select the stream server that is physically closest to the client to source the media stream, selecting the closest stream server to the client does not necessarily provide the best result to the client.